


How Young is Too Young

by darluvscaryl



Category: The Walking Dead RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 13:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4223775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darluvscaryl/pseuds/darluvscaryl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norman dates younger women all the time, however, when Melissa starts to date a younger man, he suddenly finds himself having issues with that. Why does this upset him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Any and all characters, scenes and names written in this story are complete fiction. I do not know or claim to know Norman, Melissa, Mingus or anything that goes on in their personal lives.

**A huge kudos to sjstew27 for the idea in the prompt section of Nine Lives and for her feedback along the way!!

 

As Norman leaves the lot after an exhausting day of filming, he notices Melissa climbing into the car of a young man he does not recognize. This catches him by surprise because he knows that Melissa prefers to head home and settle in a warm bath with a glass of wine to relax after a busy day of slaying zombies. His curiosity is peaked by what he has seen, but shrugs it off as he motors off on his Harley.

The following day Steven decides to throw an impromptu barbeque at his place after filming ends early.   
"Norman, are you going to come by for some burgers and beers since we get a few hours to be completely irresponsible," Steven inquires.   
"Sure, Mingus had to head back to his mom's yesterday, so I have nothing better to do tonight. What about you Mellie, you want to go with me and hang out for a bit?"  
"Sorry Norman, I have plans tonight, but have fun getting a little crazy," Melissa replies with a smile.  
"Two nights in a row of going out, that has to be a record for you Melissa. What are you up to?," Norman quietly asks.  
"Ahh Norman," as she stands up to head out the door, she responds with a smirk, "Wouldn't you like to know."  
Norman finds himself staring at the door as everyone gets ready to go, surprised by Melissa's elusive response to his question. 

Filming continued over the next few days with very little down time as the team prepared for the mid season finale. While the cast was preparing to run some last minute line changes, one of the assistants came in carrying a bouquet of gerbera daisies. "Melissa these just arrived for you." "Oh, those are lovely, thank you Shelley." As she excuses herself from Norman and goes to open the card, Norman watches as she smiles and briefly holds the card to her chest.  
"Nice flowers Mel, who are those from?", Norman asks trying to appear innocent.  
"Just someone I started seeing," Melissa answers. "He is someone a friend introduced me to about 2 weeks ago."  
"Really, I didn't think you wanted to see anyone right now, being so busy and all", responds Norman with a touch of sarcasm in his voice. 

Melissa looks at him with a surprised look on her face, but before she gets the chance to respond, they are called to start their lines again. When it gets to a scene with just the two of them, she can't help but hear a slight irritation in Norman's voice as he interacts with her. Confusion fills Melissa as she wonders what in the world just happened in the last 15 minutes. She decides to discuss it with Norman after they wrap up for the day, but before she can even finish gathering things from her trailer, she hears Norman's bike as it makes a hasty retreat off the lot.

Two days later Norman is out eating with his "flavor of the month", when he glances up only to see Melissa enter the restaurant with the same young man that he saw with her before. They are seated across the restaurant, so Melissa had not even noticed him yet. 

As the meal progressed he had been so focused on Melissa and her "date", that he didn't even realize he was being summoned until he heard, "Norman, did you hear me? Helloooooo!?"   
"Yes, Nika, I heard you, stop whining," he retorts with a hint of disdain in his voice.   
"I have been talking the last 10 minutes about how much I detest the way Stu did my hair this time and you haven't heard a word of what I said!! I asked you 3 times what you thought of this style and you didn't answer me, so don't tell me you were listening to me!"  
"Nika, as loud and annoying as you are right now, the whole damn restaurant heard you. Settle down, it's not that big of a deal."  
With a stormy look in her eye, she leans toward him and through gritted teeth states, "Not that big of a deal!!?? I spent all day getting ready for you and all you can say is it is not that big a deal!? Screw you Norman, I can find someone who can actually appreciate what I do for him when we are out. Not a man who is out with me, but ogles his co-star from across the restaurant. I get tired of hearing "Melissa this" and "You will never believe what Mel did today" that. If you want old and used up, go for it, I'm done with you!"   
Norman gets a cold look in his eye and calmly says, "Nika, I would gladly take old and experienced rather than young, arctic and fake any day of the week. Melissa is more woman than you will ever be, so to believe she is inferior, is a complete crock of shit." "Fuck you, Norman," Nika says as she gets up to leave. In her quick haste to retreat, her heel gives way as she stomps out the door, catching herself before she falls. Norman chuckles to himself as he notices the hairstyle that she was fussing about to begin with, is messed up even more now that she almost took a topple.

A few minutes after he was left at the table by himself, contemplating the shit that was his life, he glanced over to where Melissa was sitting. She was laughing at something her date said and gently touching his hand. Norman had seen enough, and as he stood, he slammed the last of his drink. He couldn't quite figure out why he was so annoyed with seeing Melissa with another man, but knew he needed to get out of there. As he made his way to the exit, two squealing fans walked up and asked for his autograph and a picture. He summoned his "I am so flattered smile" and gave them what they asked for. 

Before he could take another step, he heard her, "Norman?" "Hey, Melissa, I didn't know you were here." He bent over to kiss her cheek and turned to her date extending his hand, "Norman Reedus, nice to meet you."   
"Blane Yearston, nice to meet you too. I am a big fan. Daryl Dixon is an awesome character!!" Glancing over to Melissa, with a roll to his eyes, Norman replies, "Thanks, always nice to meet a fan."   
"I saw you with Nika, where is she, in the restroom?," Melissa asks with an innocence about her tone and face.   
"No, she left, she had to take care of a few things," he glanced at Blane, "Well, don't let me keep you, enjoy your evening."  
"Thanks, we will Norman and again, nice to meet you. Melissa, would you like to dance?"   
Norman stopped at the doorway and turned to see Melissa being twirled around giggling as she seem to let go and really enjoy herself. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy as he walked away thinking about what Nika said.

Since his evening was cut short, Norman took a drink out onto his deck and lit up a cigarette. He couldn't help but think about this guy that Melissa was dating. Really, he had to be like 20, he thought as he took another drag. Melissa can do better than some wet-behind-the-ears kid who is probably only seeing her because she is famous. Eye decided he needed some scratching, so he snuggled into Norman's lap waiting for the lovin' to begin. "Why, Eye, is she seeing this guy? Doesn't she realize how wonderful she is?," Norman said as the purring began. The more Norman thought about it, he tried to figure out why Melissa dating this 'kid' bothered him so much. He believed that it had to do with Blane just wanting to take advantage of her. At least, that is what he told himself...

Thank you so much for reading this and please feel free to leave me feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

The cast was exhausted after the putting in several hours of overtime to get the filming of the season finale just right. Everyone was thrilled with what the writers had done with this finale. There were several intense scenes that were sure to impress the fans with things they had never seen before.

Norman was heading back to his trailer when Steven caught up with him. "Hey Norman, don't forget to stop by my place and pick up your passes for the gala, Norman. Everyone else got theirs on set. That was the day you were flying back from your vacation."

"Yes, Steven, Andy already reminded me. I'll pick them up tomorrow morning before noon; will you be home?"

"That will work, I'm picking up my tux at 3, so that will give me plenty of time to get there," Steven replied. "Thanks Norman, g'night."  
"See ya tomorrow," Norman said as he pulled the door open and grabbed the last of his belongings.

Melissa stood on the top step of Norman's trailer and raised her hand to knock. Just as she was knocking on the door, it swung open and caught her by surprise "Oh! Norman, since you just got back, I wanted to stop by quick and make sure had what you needed for tomorrow night," Melissa asked.

"Yes, Mellie, got my suit delivered to the house this afternoon and I am going to Steven's tomorrow morning to get the passes. I will be set to go after that." 

"Don't forget about the silent auction that will take place while the gala is going on. All the proceeds from that will provide extra funding for the Ronald McDonald house that is situated close to the St. Judes hospital this gala is raising money for."

"I remember and already have an idea of what..."

"Melissa, are you ready?," interrupted a voice from a few feet away. "Hi again, Norman, sorry to interrupt, but Melissa and I need to get going before this storms hits."

"Hey Blane, no problem, we were done. See ya tomorrow Mellie," with a slight strain in his voice. As Norman scooted down the stairs and nodded as he went past him, he thought to himself 'hope Melissa brings a bib for him in case he spills'.

"Well, ok, bye Norman," Melissa said with a puzzled look on her face. Blane continued to talk about tomorrow evening as they quickly walked toward his car, but Melissa was only half listening to what he was saying as she was bewildered by Norman's behavior each time Blane was around.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Melissa was quite pleased with the reflection she saw staring back at her. The dress she was wearing was a little out of the norm for her as it had some splashes of color in it. It was simple, yet elegant. The shimmery gray/wine taffeta tulle dropped from her hips all the way to the floor. The bodice fit a little tighter and the sheer sleeves flowed into a beadwork pattern that was highlighted by small turquoise blue rhinestones around the midriff. The rhinestones popped against the gray/wine tones of the rest of the beading. She liked the way the rhinestones were subtle, but enough to highlight her eyes. She found a few simple bangles and a pair of teardrop earrings made out of a metal that was the same hue as the dress. As she slipped on her heels, she laughed at the thought that if she was going with Norman, those heels would make her almost the same height as him and he would hate that! 

Norman pulled the bow tie off and threw it on the bed. His dark gray, single button Armani suit fit his physique well, but he hated the bowtie that went with it. He thought the bowtie against the lighter gray shirt made him look like an usher. When the suit was ordered he requested a regular solid black tie as well, so he could decide. He knew Mellie would prefer the bowtie, but since she was going with the 'kid', he opted for the more Reedus choice of the long tie. When he finished tying it, he slipped on the black shoes and went into the bathroom. He grabbed a squirt of styling creme, ran it through his long hair in an attempt to keep it somewhat out of his eyes, and stepped back out into the bedroom. The doorman buzzed up to let him know the limo had arrived, so he gave Eye some scratches and headed out the door.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Norman pulled on the tie of his suit as he walked into the gala the following evening. "Now, now Norman, you haven't been here long enough to start fidgeting just yet," needled Danai as she followed him down the hallway. "Tie pulling shouldn't start for at least another thirty minutes, my friend."

"Danai, you know as well as I do, I can't stand a suit. If Melissa hadn't insisted that I had to wear it, I would have most likely come in jeans."

"You, in jeans, does not surprise me at all, Norman," she chuckled as she began to walk away. "Have fun and save a dance for me."

"Will do, Samurai," Norman teased as he entered the hall. He knew Danai hated that nickname.

As Norman scanned the guests he spotted Andy and Steven standing by the bar. He made his way over to them, "Gentlemen, nice to see you in something other than walker blood."

"Norman, I can't believe you are here in a suit. We placed bets to see if you would show up in jeans," said Steven as he held out his hand and Andy slapped a $20 in it.

"Really, you two, I know when I should dress up or not," Norman chided. 

Unbeknownst to him, Melissa walked up from behind. "I don't know Reedus, that is debatable at this point," Melissa teased.

Norman turned around and was literally made speechless by the pure beauty she was. "W-wow Mellie, you look stunning," as he leaned in and kissed her cheek. The scent of vanilla filled the air around him, the scent of her. "That dress...you take my breath away." He had to force himself to take a step back for fear he might drag her right out of that room.

"Thank you Norman, you are quite handsome yourself," she replied as she saw Blane approaching with their drinks. "Have a nice evening boys and try not to cause too much trouble. You know how the three of you are when you get together."

"We aren't making any promises," stated Andy as he finished off his drink.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening progressed as the meals were cleared away and the dancing began. Norman enjoyed dancing with the ladies and doing a few shots with the guys. On several occasions, Norman caught Melissa's eye across the room, only to have it disturbed by Blane getting in the way. He found he got agitated with this 'kid' having Melissa's constant attention, so he decided to do something about it. He would cut in on a dance with Melissa, but he wanted the perfect song. John Legend's "All of Me"came on a minute later and Norman decided it was now or never. He went over to Melissa and Blane who were just about to start dancing, "May I have this dance?" he asked.

Melissa looked at Blane and said, "I promised Norman a dance, I will be back in a bit." Blane was upset, but replied with a snarky, "Sure Melissa, whatever." He then left the dance floor.

As the song played, Norman pulled Melissa in close and was amazed at how well they seem to fit each other. "Melissa, you really do look quite lovely tonight."  
"Thank you again Norman, your suit fits you well. I am sure all the young ladies appreciate what you are wearing." "Stop," he replied with a smirk.  
Norman held her tight as he sang quietly in her ear, "Cause all of me, loves all of you, love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections..."  
She had never heard him sing before and was taken aback by the words he chose to sing. Norman always did feel right in her arms, but she had to remember that Blane was who she was seeing. They moved around the room like liquid. At one point, Melissa caught their reflection in a mirror on the wall and thought about how amazing they looked together. 

The song ended and she quickly pulled away and tried to pull herself back together. "Thank you Norman, that was, um, a delightful dance." 

"You are welcome Mellie, I really enjoyed it. Listen, I would be remiss if I didn't say something. It may not be my place, but I have to ask why you are seeing that guy? He is so much younger than you and I get the feeling he's only seeing you because you're famous."

"Excuse me?! Did I hear you right? You don't think I should date someone younger than me!? Hello? Pot calling kettle back...Blane is a nice guy and we are enjoying each other's company. That is all that should concern you. I can date whomever, whenever I want and you can't do a damn thing about it. Do you hear what I'm saying to you? Perhaps you should reevaluate who you are dating before you try to give me advice. You have a habit of ONLY dating women who are much younger and you don't think they are after your fame?? What I don't understand is you have never had an issue with who I have dated before, why would you start now?"

Her verbal assault caught Norman off guard, so his reply was non existent. "I'm sorry that I hurt you Mellie, that was not my intent. Blane seems like a nice guy. I'm not sure what my problem is with him."

"I don't know either, but maybe you should take the time to figure it out. My life, my choices Norman..."


	3. Chapter 3

**This is a pure work of fiction. I do not claim to know any of the people in the story or what goes on in their personal lives. This is written purely for entertainment purposes.

Thank you to Sara and Christine for your help along the way. I appreciate it!!

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thank you for being so understanding Blane. I just didn't feel right continuing this relationship when I knew in my heart it would never develop into anything more," said Melissa as they walked out of the restaurant. The night of the gala she began to realize her heart just wasn't in it and after a few more weeks of dates, she knew it was done.

"Honestly, Melissa, I was having the same thoughts. Thank you for being so being so honest with me. You take care of yourself and watch out for those walkers."

"I will, have a good evening." 

As she drove away, she couldn't stop her thoughts as they drifted to Norman. She often wondered how he was so dominant over her thoughts more often than she cared to admit. After a stop at the store for a bottle of wine, she made her way back to the house. Just as she pulled into her driveway, her phone began to ring. The screen showed that it was Norman. "Norman, hello! How are things in New York?"

"Hi Mellie! I'm doing well, and things are rolling along. How about yourself?"

"I am relaxing and enjoying myself, so I can't complain. Sorry, I missed your text the other night. I was at a new coffee house with Blane." She opened the door to her house and turned the alarm off. 

"Speaking of Blane, I want to apologize for my behavior at the gala. It was uncalled for and to be honest, I'm not really sure what came over me," Norman said with regret in his voice.

Heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine, she replied, "I accept your apology Norman, thank you. I was actually out with Blane tonight and we have decided to stop seeing each other. I have had some time to really think about what I want and came to the realization that he wasn't it."

"I am sorry to hear that Melissa. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, actually I am. I picked up a bottle of wine and plan on having a glass or two while I soak in the tub."

"Really? You? And a bath? I can be there in two hours, wait for me," he teased.

Chuckling to herself, she decided two could play that game. "Two hours, Norman, really? You can't do any better than that?"  
When she didn't hear a reply she said, "Norman, are you there?"

After a low clearing of his throat, "Damn, Mellie...well, uh...actually I was calling to let you know that I am coming back to Georgia for a few days and I was hoping to see you."

A smile came to her face as she knew how embarrassed he could get. Imagining his face was red, she said, "I would love to spend time with you while you are in town. When do you think you will be here?"

"My flight will land in two days. I have a rental car reserved and will be staying at a hotel while I am there. That is one of the reasons I have to come back. I am having wood floors put in and need to move some things into storage while they do that."

"Wait, you're going to be staying at a hotel? Norman, that really isn't necessary. You are more than welcome to stay here with me. I would love to be able to hang out with you. It's been a little lonely with everyone off doing their own thing."

"Melissa, that is so kind of you to offer, but I..."

"I insist Norman," she interrupted, "I have this big house, plenty of space and you can even bring Eye in the Dark if you want."

"Are you sure? I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense! I am excited to see you Norman! Do you want me to meet you at the airport?"

"No, I will need the car to travel back and forth, so I will pick it up and come to your house. I am looking forward to seeing you Mellie, I have missed you."

"Me too. See you in two days. And Norman, travel safe."

"Will do, no worries. G'nite!"

"Goodnight Reedus." Melissa leaned back in the tub and found herself quite excited at the thought of seeing Norman again. She sipped her wine as she tried to decipher what was going on in her head when it came to Norman. She had known him for years, yet, had never really accepted that what she felt for him went beyond friendship. Surely, Norman only thought of her as a friend, right?

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Norman decided to leave Eye at home because he knew Mingus would take good care of him for a few days. As he settled back into his seat on the plane, Norman thoughts slipped to what Melissa said that night at the gala. Ever since then, he had done a lot of soul searching and what she said really struck a chord with him. He was dating women who were younger than him and as much as he didn't want to admit it, it was because it made him feel younger. He liked the thought of younger women wanting to be with him. That being said, he was sure some of them were probably dating him because he was famous, just as he had said to Melissa.

Norman had been trying to figure out why, ever since Melissa had dated that younger guy, he thought of her differently. His thoughts drifted to her when he first woke up, all day long and before he fell asleep at night. There had always been chemistry there, but he was always afraid to act on it, that is, until now. It is almost like someone turned a light on and the awesomeness that was Melissa, illuminated before his very eyes. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hold on!! I'll be right there," said Melissa as she wiped her hands on the dish towel. She flung open the door, "Oh.My. Gosh. Can you believe it!? It's Norman Reedus!!! Aagghh!!" 

Looking at her like she had lost her mind, Norman burst out laughing, "Is that Melissa McBride? She won a Saturn award you know!" They stared at each other a moment and then Norman grabbed her and gave her a warm hug. They pulled apart only to catch each other's eyes. A moment of intense feelings passed through them as they continued in the house.

Melissa closed the door behind them as Norman placed his bag by the front door. "It really is good to see you again Mellie," he said, as he leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek. He held her close a bit longer than usual, and Melissa felt her face flush with the intensity of the moment.

Melissa tried to hide her excitement, "Come on Norman, let's get your things to your room and then we can sit down and have some lunch."

"Uh, yeah, ok, that sounds like a plan," said Norman as it seemed to take him a moment to get himself together.

After lunch, they took their drinks and went out to the swing on Melissa's back porch. They sat in silence for a few moments seeming content with just being in each other's company. Stealing glances at her, Norman tried to gather up the courage to apologize face to face for what happened the night of the gala. "Mellie, look, I just wanted to apologize one more time for the way I acted that night." He grabbed her hand as she stared into his eyes, "After it happened, I took a few days to process what said it about my behavior."

"Norman, you already apologized for that, it's okay..."

"Melissa, hold on," Norman interrupted. "I have more I want you to hear. I took a few days to think about things and as much as I tried to deny it, it was obvious to me why I was acting the way I was." He wanted to pull her to him, but didn't want to freak her out, so he grabbed her other hand so that they were completely facing each other. "Mellie, I didn't want you with him..........because I wanted you with me."

Melissa held her breath for a moment while trying to maintain her thoughts and whispered, "You want me with you? You...want...me?" 

Tears began to fall down her face as Norman reached up to wipe them away. "Please don't cry. Once I decided to own up to my feelings, I realized that you were what I have been looking for this whole time. You know me better than most anyone and accept me for who I am; craziness and all. You make me laugh, you make me take a step back and think about things I want out of life and you are just about the prettiest thing I have ever laid my eyes on."

"Wow, Reedus. When you apologize to a lady, you really take it to the next level don't you?" Melissa smiled as she reached out to him. Placing a hand on each side of his face, she looked deep into his blue eyes and simply stated, "I am not scared anymore. For so long I knew how I felt, but you were always with someone, or I was seeing someone. Timing never seemed right...until I dated Blane and saw how you reacted around him. It wasn't rocket science to figure out you were jealous, but I would never allow myself to believe that you would have any type of feelings for me beyond friendship. You are an amazing man. You give so much of yourself to Mingus, your family and your friends. The fans love how much you appreciate them and give them little peeks into your world. I love when we're together because I think we bring out the best in each other." 

She hesitated for a moment, and then decided they had both waited long enough. She pulled his face to hers and placed a soft kiss on his lips. It was gentle at first as they both took a moment to relish the fact that they were together. Norman then took over and deepened the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap. He ran his tongue along her lips and she opened them willingly, allowing their tongues to caress each other. After a few moments, they broke apart and he then realized how overwhelming his feelings really were for her.

"Mellie, my girl, please tell me you will give us a chance!?" His voiced cracked as he continued, "Let me show you how much I can love you, and take care of you and cherish you always. Please..."

"There is no one I would rather give this chance to than you Reedus. I can't wait to begin this adventure with you and show you how much I can love you too."

As he leaned in to kiss her again, he got a smirk on his face and said, "Remind me, if I ever see Blane again, that I need to thank him for lighting a fire under my ass to bring me to you."

She laughed and then kissed them both quiet.


End file.
